Like Routine
by RomaniaBites
Summary: Bulgaria will never be Romano...no matter how many times Romania calls his name out. BulgariaxRomania Unrequited!RomaniaxRomano


**Like Routine**

* * *

_"ROMANO!"_

It's almost like routine now.

He should be used to this. He really should.

Because, honestly...how many times has this happened?

More often than he'd like to think. More often than it should be.

But what can he do?

He loves the little devil. His sweet, adorable, _eccentric_ little devil.

It _doesn't_ matter how many times they become one.

It _doesn't matter_ how many times Romania promises his undying love, his pledge of loyalty and trust.

_It doesn't matter_ how many times Bulgaria cries over the fact that he will never be Italy Romano.

Because he isn't.

He's just the consolation prize, no matter how often his best friend assures him otherwise.

Panting, the red-eyed blonde collapses on top of him, sweaty and shaking. His hair is adorably wild, all over the place. Sighing, Romania buries his face in his lover's neck, while the other absentmindedly strokes circles on his marble arms.

Bulgaria likes to pretend that he's just _hearing_ things, just _imagining_ the fact that his boyfriend/best friend calls out for an old flame instead of _him_. Sometimes, he pretends that 'Romano' or 'Lovino' are Romanian petnames.

But that isn't the case.

Dracul isn't crying out _'Nikifor'_ or _'Bulgaria'_.

He isn't crying out _'I love you'_s or declarations of the like.

He isn't crying out for _him_.

He never has.

"Mmm...you're so soft, Niki..."

"Yeah...I try."

Romania laughs contently, squeezing the dark-haired man underneath him. He nuzzles their noses together, beaming. "You're so cute."

"I never understood your tastes in cuteness," chuckles Bulgaria softly, smile never reaching his gray eyes. It hurts him to think of the terrible position he's in, the position all men _dread_:

To be so enamored with someone who has already surrendered their heart to _someone_ _else_.

To be in love with someone who can never _really_ return the feeling.

To be in love with the one person who constantly _breaks you_ without even knowing.

It hurts. It really does.

The sad thing is that they both sound _sincere_, sound like the happiest and most _perfect_ couple to everyone else. He doesn't know how they pull it off, to be quite honest. He doesn't know how anybody can overlook the _mess _that lies beneath the fake embraces and false kisses.

At the same time, he doesn't doubt Dracul's love for him. He can't...because it _is_ there. It's _real_.

Despite being overshadowed by Dracul's love for _Lovino_.

By now, the strawberry-blonde is almost completely asleep. Nikifor takes this as a sign to bring them closer together. He pecks his lips. "Sleep, Dracul..."

"_D-da_." Romania yawns one last time, before grinning sleepily up at him with that cute little fang of his. "_Buonanotte_..."

Bulgaria can't say that he hates Romano. Because he doesn't dislike the boy at all. If anything, they're very good friends. _All_ of them are. And really, that's the problem, isn't it?

Besides, how _can_ he blame the Southern Italian for stealing his spot as number one in Romania's heart? It's not like Romano tries to, or even wants to.

((Well...maybe. He hopes he doesn't.))

And he has Spain. Or at least, he _can_ have Spain, if he ever notices the older nation's feelings.

Even _he_ has his moments of exasperating obviousness.

But for now, Bulgaria is thankful the Italian remains single. Remains stubbornly _unaware_. He knows Dracul will be heartbroken the day it becomes otherwise, and he _**never** _wants his darling to feel that kind of pain.

He's a veteran to it, after all.

"Italian again...?"

"Uh-huh...Lov's says I'm good at it now..."

"I'm sure."

Does Dracul even know that it's him—Bulgaria, _Nikifor_—in his bed, in his arms, and _not_ Lovino? Or does he imagine chestnut locks and olive spheres instead of plain ol' dark brown curls and cool gray orbs?

"..._лека нощ_, Dracul..._обичам те_..."

"..._te iubesc_...Lovino..."

It's almost like routine now.

_He should be used to this..._

* * *

**A/N: O.e**

**This idea just wouldn't leave me alone. GAH. ****Unrequited love's a bitch; I got three of them going on here. Bulgania, Romanio, and Spamano. And t****his is my first Bulgaria X Romania, so sorry if it isn't very good... **

**'Nikifor' was just a fitting name... Like 'Dracul,' it isn't official or anything. **

**Bulgaria's such a sweetheart. I plan on writing more of him just cuz I think he's totes adorable!**

**Ah, translations~**

**da- yes (Romanian)**

**Buonanotte - good night (Italian) [I know, random. But Lovi still has an effect on him...]**

**"..._лека нощ_, Dracul..._обичам те_..." - "Good night, Dracul, I love you." (Bulgarian)**

**"..._te iubesc_...Lovino..." - "I love you...Lovino." (Romanian)**

**If any of these are wrong, I is sowwie. I trust Google Translate too much.**


End file.
